Timepiece.



1. E. DAWSEY.

TIMEPIECE.

APPUCATION FILED NOV. 4, I914.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

J'QHN E. DAWSEY, OF CONWAY SOUTH CAROLINA.

TIMEPIEGE.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN E. DAWSEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Conway, in the county of Horry and State of South Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Timepieces,- of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to timepieces, the

object in view being to produce a time piece in which the mechanism is of such a character as to provide for a step by step movement of a series of time indicating disks mounted overlapping relation to each other so as to secure a compact display of acters. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken in front of the time indicating disks. Fig. 3 is a similar section takenin 'rear of the time indicating disks and illustrating the step. by step mechanism. Fig. 4 is a similar view with the large minute wheel omitted and showing the minute arbor in section. Fig; 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a portion of the minute wheel, and the pinion and escapement wheel associated therewith, also the .escapement lever. For the; purpose of .carryingout the present invention, the case 1 of the. time piece is provided with an orifice or observation opening 2 of sufli cient size only to display, in the preferred embodimentof this -inven-. tion, numerals to: designate the time. In

addition thereto, the case of the time piece .is. provided with-another smaller orifice?- through which a" sui'ficient portion of the '2 disk is visible to indicate the seconds secon in connection lwith the time in hours and minutes.

4'designates the minute arbor which makes a complete revolution in one hour. Fast on the minute'arbor 4 is a large gear or minute wheel 5 provided with escapement teeth 6 or, in other words, teeth having substantially Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed Kovember 4, 1914. Serial No. 870,284.

parallel front and rear faces. and inclined extremities. Fast on the same arbor 4 is a pinion 7 provided with-six teeth and another pinion 8 having but a single tooth projectmg therefrom, the purpose of which will appear. a

The wheel 5 meshes with and drives a spur Patented Sept. 7 1915.

gear 9 having the ordinary rounded spur Y teeth as best illustrated in Fig. 5. This Wheel 9 is mounted on an arbor 10 and on the same arbor there is mounted an escapement wheel 11. having ratchet shaped teeth which are adapted to. be engaged by the arm 12 of an escapement lever designatedgenerally at A,*the other arm 13 ofsaid lever being adapted to engage'the teeth 6 of the wheel 5. The'spur gear 9 and escapement wheel 11 have a limited relative rotative movement on concentric axeswhich is effected by mounting one of said .wh'eels loosely on the arbor 10 and connecting the gear and wheel by means of a coiied spring 14 one extremity of which is secured to one of said wheels at the point 15 and the other extremity of which is secured either to'the spur gear 9 or the arbor 10 as may be found most convenient. The spring-14 admits of one of said wheels turning relatively to the other and'the extent of movement is limited by cooperating stops 16 and 17 one of which i is on the spur gear 9 and the other on.the escapement wheel 11,-said stops being on the adjacent faces of 'said'wheels.

18 designates a spring bearing against the arm 13 of the escapement lever' to move the tremities of the teeth 6 serving to move the escapement lever in the opposite direction to release the wheel 12. A secondary minute wheel or time indicatingdisk 19 is mounted .same toward the wheel 5, the beveled ex- 1 on the arbor 10 and bears a fixed relation to the escapement wheel 11 so as to rotate therewith. It will now be seen that the wheel 5 drives the pinion 9'while the wheel -11 is held baclfby the arm 12 of the escape-' ment lever A. At a certain point, however, the teeth 6 of the wheel '5 act on the escapement lever to release the-wheel 11 which is thereupon quickly turned a distance .governed by the distance between the stops 16 and 17. This has the effect of quickly turning the disk 19 so as to bring the next in dicating character 20 thereof in line with the opening 2 in the case of the time piece.

In addition to the secondary minutedisk 19, Iprovide a primary minute disk 21, an i minute arbor 4, the wheel 27 is advanced the distance of one tooth which is equal to the distance ';between the time indicating characters on said disk as shown in Fig. 2. In

like manner the primary minute disk 21 has .mountedin fixed relation thereto a pinion 28 having "six ratchet shaped teeth thereon adapted to be successively operated'upon by the adjacent extremity of another dog orlever 29 which is fulcrumed at 30 on the movement and provided with an arm 31 adapted to be successively struck by the six teeth of the pinion 7. Detents 32 and 33 are used in conjunction with the wheels 27 and 28, respectively, for the purpose of retainin the disks 21 and 22 against movement unt' they are acted upon by the mechanism just described. Springs 34 and 35 act against the dogs or levers 24 and 29, respectively, to hold the same against stops 36 and 37 shown in the form of pins projecting from the frame of the movement. The second indicating disk 23 is mounted fast on the second arbor 39 and the indicating characters thereof are displayed through the smaller orifice 3 in the case of the time piece.

40 designates the arbor of the primary minute disk 21 and 41 designates the arbor of the hour disk 22.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation of the mechanismwill now be understood. As the wheel 5 is driven by the minute arbor 4, the teeth thereof drive the pinion 9 and also actuate the escapement lever A with the result that the wheel 9 is driven steadily while the escapement wheel 11 is held back by the lever A. At the proper moment, the escapement lever A is acted upon by the beveled extremities of the teeth 6, thereby releasing the wheel 11 which carries the secondary minute disk 19. There- .fore a quick partial turning movement of the disk 19 is effected, bringing the next indicating character before the orifice 2. In like manner the teeth of the pinions 7 and 8 act on the dogs or levers 24 and 29 and impart a step by step movement to each of the wheels 27 and 28 thereby turning the disks 21 and 22 in a corresponding manner, that is to say with a step by step movement. This causes the characters to be quickly presented before the orifice 2 and avoids any confusion which would otherwise arise if the time indicating disks were driven at uniform speed. The second indicating disk 23 revolves so rapidly that it is not considered necessary to drive the last named disk with a step by step movement, the designating characters appearing almost continuously under the observation orifice 3.

It will of course be understood that the mechanism hereinabove described is applica ble to all kinds of time pieces including watches and clocks. It will also be understood that the invention is susceptible of various changes in the form, proportion and.

minor details of construction which may be resorted to without departing from theprinciple or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim is In a time piece, the combination with the minute arbor, of a series of overlapping time indicating disks, a gear fast on said arbor and provided with escapement teeth, a spur pinion driven thereby, an arbor for said pinion, an escapement wheel on said pinion arbor, and means admitting of a limited relative rotative movement of said pinion and escapement wheel, whereby the spur pinion is constantly revolved and the escapement wheel is operated intermittently, said means embodying a spring connecting said pinion and escapement wheel and acting .to quickly advance the escapement wheel when the latter is released by the escapement lever, and an escapement lever one arm of which cooperates with the minute gear and the other arm of which cooperates with said escapement wheel.

In testimon whereof I afiix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

JOHN E. DAWSE Y.

Witnesses:

D. G. SrIvEr, F. M. FLOYD. 

